Suddenly (Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard song)

"Suddenly" is a duet performed by Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard from the soundtrack Xanadu, and is the love theme from the 1980 film of the same name. It was written and produced by John Farrar.

"Suddenly"
Picture sleeve of UK vinyl single
Single by Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard
from the album Xanadu
B-side	"You Made Me Love You"
Released	October 10, 1980 (UK)^[1]
Recorded	1979
Studio	Musicland Studios (Munich, Germany)
Genre	Pop
Length	4:02
Label	MCA Jet
Songwriter(s)	John Farrar
Producer(s)	John Farrar
Olivia Newton-John singles chronology
"Xanadu" (1980) "Suddenly" (1980) "Physical" (1981)
Cliff Richard singles chronology
"Dreamin'" (1980) "Suddenly" (1980) "A Little in Love" (1980)
Music video
"Suddenly" on YouTube

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Billboard	(unrated)^[2]

"Suddenly" reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart in October 1980 and number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1981.^[3] It finished the year as number 91 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1981 chart. It was also a major Adult Contemporary hit, reaching number four.^[4] The music video shows Newton-John and Richard in a penthouse singing the song to each other, taken from her ABC TV special "Hollywood Nights" that aired before the 52nd Academy Awards on April 14, 1980.

The single's B-side, "You Made Me Love You" (Olivia solo), was also featured in the film Xanadu but does not appear on the soundtrack album.

Personnel

• Olivia Newton-John – vocals
• Cliff Richard – vocals
• John Farrar – guitar and synthesizer
• David McDaniel – bass
• Ed Greene – drums
• Michael Boddicker – vocoder
• Jai Winding – electric piano
• Richard Hewson – orchestra conductor

Track listing and formats

7-inch vinyl single^[5]

1. "Suddenly" – 4:03
2. "You Made Me Love You" (Olivia Newton-John) – 3:04

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1980–81)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[6]	37
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[7]	60
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)	14
Ireland (IRMA)^[8]	6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[9]	30
UK Singles (OCC)^[10]	15
US Billboard Hot 100^[11]	20
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[12]	4
US Cash Box^[13]	19

Year-end chart (1981)	Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)^[14]	91

Chart (2022)	Peak position
U.S. Digital Song Sales (Billboard)^[15]	42

Cover versions

The song was covered by Filipino singers Sam Milby and Toni Gonzaga on their debut studio album Love Duets (2009).

References

1. "Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard - Suddenly [Single/Album Version]". cliffrichardsongs.com.
2. "Review: Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard – Suddenly" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 42. 18 October 1980. p. 69. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
3. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
4. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-1993. Record Research. p. 200.
5. "Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard – Suddenly (Song)". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (doc). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help)
7. "RPM Top Singles - Volume 34, No. 4, November 22, 1980" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Suddenly". Irish Singles Chart.
9. "Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard – Suddenly". Top 40 Singles.
10. "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
11. "Cliff Richard Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
12. "Cliff Richard Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
13. . Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
14. "Number One Awards – Billboard's 1981 Year-End Charts : Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 51. December 26, 1981. p. YE-9. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
15. "CU.S Digital Song Sales: Week of August 20, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2022.